Summary for Chapters 13-17

The following day, Mr. Rochester invites Jane and Adele to have tea with him. He acts unfriendly and cold towards both of them, although he seems harmed by Jane's drawings, which he asks to see. Later on Jane mentions to Mrs. Fairfax that she finds Mr. Rochester "changeful and abrupt." Mrs. Fairfax then suggest that his idiosyncrasy is a result of a difficult personal history. Jane learns that Rochester is something of a family outcast, and when his father died his older brother inherited Thornfield. After the death of his brother Rochester then became the proprietor and has been so for nine years now. 

 During the first days at Thornfield, Jane sees little of Rochester. But one night when he is in his "after-dinner mood," he sends for both Adele and Jane. Adele then receives the gift she had been anxiously waiting for and while she plays Rochester, he becomes chatty with Jane, which is an unusual thing for him to do. Jane then comes to the conclusion that he is slightly drunk. Rochester's command that Jane converse with him makes Jane feel awkward especially because he goes on to argue that her relationship with him is not one of enslavement. Their conversation eventually turns to the concepts of sin, forgiveness and redemption. Jane then becomes fascinated when Adele asks about her mother. Rochester then promises to explain more about the situation on a future occasion. 

Sometime later, Rochester then tells Jane of he and Adele's past. He had a long affair with Adele's mother, named Celine Varens. But when Rochester had discovered that Celine was engaged with another man, he ended the relationship. Rochester has always denied Celines claim that Adele is his daughter, but still, he took her in after she was abandoned by her mother, to take proper care of her. While Jane is brooding about all the insights that she has learned of Mr Rochester's past, she begins to hear noises. She hears what she believes to be fingers stroking against the wall, and soon after, laughter fills the hallways. The second she hears a door opening, she hurries out of her room and sees smoke coming from Mr. Rochester's bedroom. She drenches the bed with water, saving Mr. Rochesters life. After being saved, Mr. Rochester's first response is to check the third floor, which is quite strange. When he returns, he inquires Jane of whether she has heard an eerie laughter and from who. With her answer being the same as his, he confirms it and thanks Jane for saving his life. He also alerts her not to tell anyone about what has happened, and so, for he reminder of the night, he sleeps on the couch.

The following morning Jane arouses shocked to hear that last nights events have caused no misconduct. The servants believe that Rochester might have fallen asleep with a lit candle by his bed, and even Grace Poole shows no signs of culpability nor repentance. At this point Jane does not understand why an attempted murderer can continue to live there. Jane finally realises that she is starting to have feelings for Mr. Rochester, which makes her quite sad that she is saving. Thornfield for a couple days. Jane learns that he has left to accompany a beautiful lady, Blanche Ingram, at a party. She rebukes herself for being disappointed at what she has learned. She then compares herself to Blanche, and notices how much plainer she is to her. 

Rochester has already been gone for a week now, and Jane is appalled to learn that he may not return to Thornfield, and that he may just head for Europe instead. According to Mrs. Fairfax, he could be gone for more than a year. However, a week after Jane finds out the horrible news, Mrs. Fairfax receives a call call from Mr. Rochester stating that he will be arriving to Thornfield in three days, with a large group of guest. While Jane waits for Rochester return, she cannot help but notice how strange Grace Poole, seems to be enjoying the rest of the staff. Jane also overhears a conversation in which a few servant are discussing Grace's high pay. This makes Jane a bit sceptical abut Grace, because now she believes that she doesn't know the entire truth of Grace Poole. 

A party of elegant and aristocratic guest arrive accompanied by Mr. Rochester. Jane becomes forced  to join the group but spends the evening watching them from a window seat. Blanche and her mother are both members of the party, who both treat Jane with contempt and brutality. As Jane is trying to leave the party she is stopped by Mr. Rochester. However he lets her go once he sees the tears falling from her eyes. He informs her she must come into the drawing room every evening during his guests' stay at Thornfield. As they are partying Rochester says, "Goodnight, my--" before biting his lip and saying more than he had intended to.

Summary of Chapters 9-12

As spring begins, life at Lowood begins to get a bit more exciting and happier, but in that same breath Lowood still continues to be a breeding-ground for the typhus disease. While all of this is taking pace, Jane remains healthy and spends most of her tine outside with her new friend, Mary Ann Wilson. Later on Jane learns that her friend, Helen; is dying from consumption. Wishing to see her one last time before she dies, Jane sneaks to Miss Temple's room. Helen tells Jane that she is happy to be leaving the worlds suffering behind and that she feels little pain. The girls fall asleep together and that same night, Helen dies. Fifteen years after Helens death, her grave is imprinted with the latin word 'resurgam' which means 'I shall rise.' 

A new group of overseers are brought to Lowood to run the school after Mr. Brocklehurst is found to be the cause of the typhus spreads due to his neglection of the girls. In no time, things begin to get better for the girls, and as so Jane begins to excel in her studies for the next six years. Jane then become the teacher at Lowood and after spending 2 years there, she decides that she is ready for a change. She then advertises herself in search of post as a governess and accepts the position at Thornfield. Before leaving Lowood Jane surprisingly receives a visit from Bessie. Bessie tells Jane abut how Georgiana had attempted to run away from Gateshead, about how John has fallen into a life of dissipation and cessation. Bessie also tells Jane that seven years ago, John Eyre, her fathers brother went to Gateshead in search of her, but did not have time to travel to Lowood and instead went to Madeira in search of wealth. At the end of their discussion Bessie heads back to Gateshead and Jane heads for Thornfield.

When Jane arrives to Millcote she notices that her driver is late picking her up, so therefore when she finally arrives to Thornfield it is nighttime. Although she cannot differentiate much of the houses facade because on how dark it is, she finds the inferior "cosy and agreeable." A prim, elder woman, by the nme of Mrs. Fairfax awaits Jane as she arrives. She learns that Mrs. Fairfax is not the actual owner of Thornfield, she is just the housekeeper, and that it is actually owned by Mr. Edward Rochester, who travels regularly. Jane also learns that he's in charge of tutoring Adele, who is an eight year-old French girl, whose mother was a singer and dancer. Jane also learns that Mr. Rochester is an eccentric man whose family holds a history for extreme and violent behaviours. Suddenly, an eerie laughter echoes through the house and Mrs. Fairfax summons a girl named Grace and orders her to make less noise and to "remember directions." When Grace leaves the room Mrs. fairfax tells Jane that she is a rather unbalanced and unpredictable seamstress who works in the house. 

Successfully, Jane finds life at Thornfield pleasing and cozy. Adele proves to be exuberant and intelligent, though she can be quite spoiled and a bit petulant at times. However, Jane becomes frequently tired and decides to go on walks at Thornfield's top-story passage way to collect her thoughts. A few months have passed since Jane has first arrived to Thornfield, and one evening while she is watching the moon rise she recognises a horse approaching. As this is occurring, she remembers the story of a spirit called a Gystrash, that Bessie had once told her, which impersonates itself as a horse/ mule/ dog to scare away "belated travellers." Strangely, a dog then appears. Once Jane notices that the horse has a ride, the eerie feeling goes away. Just after the horse passes, it slips on a pitch of ice and its rider falls to the ground. Jane then helps the man to his feet, and introduces herself to him, while observing his facial features. Jane then returns back to Thornfield, and while entering she encounters the same dog resting on the rug. Jane questions a servant about who the dog belongs to and then learns that it is owned by Mr. Rochester, and that he has just returned home with a sprained ankle, after falling from his horse. 

Summary of Chapters 5-8

 

Days after meeting Mr. Brocklehurst, Jane the travels to Lowood. The sky is dark and it is a bit rainy. The next day Jane gets introduced to her classmates and learns of her daily routine. She meets Miss Temple who she thinks is kind, and also Miss Scatcherd, which she thinks is unpleasant, especially to another student named Helen Burns. After Jane and Helen become friends Jane learns that Lowood is a charity school for female orphans, which brought her to the conclusion that Mrs. reed didn't have to pay a red cent for her to be put there.

 

 

On the second day, when the girls wake up they are unable to wash their faces because the water is frozen. Jane learns that the girls are underfed, overworked an d forced to do things; in other words, life at Lowood both harsh and hard for the girls. But Jane doesn't let this negativity affect her relationship with Helen. To Jane, Helen is like an idol because she is able to endure the cruelest treatment and because she has lots of knowledge. Helen tells Jane that she practices a doctrine of Christian endurance and that she should do it as well. But Jane disagrees with Helen and feels opposite of her. In this chapter we learn that Helen is one that criticizes herself and believes what others say of her. She believes that she is a poor student and rebukes herself for daydreaming when she should be focusing on her work.


As the first month goes by, Mr. Brocklehurst spends most of his time away from Lowood. But when he returns, Jane becomes a bit nervous, remembering what he had promised her aunt. which was to inform the school about Jane's lying ways. Jane's 'secret' is then told when she drops her slate in Mr.Brocklehurst presence. In furiousness, he tells her she is careless and orders her to stand on a stool while telling her 'secret'. Mr. Brocklehurst also tells the others not to communicate with Jane for the rest of the day. Knowing that Jane is upset and hurt Helen comforts her by saying that no one at Lowood likes Mr.Brocklehurst and that if he would have been nice to her, the other girls would have became suspicious towards her.


Finally, after all the students leave Jane collapses on the floor. At this point she is ashamed and believes her reputation at Lowood has been ruined, but Helen, one again, comforts her. Jane tells Miss Temple of her childhood at Gateshead while trying to connect it with the fact that she is not a liar. Miss Temple believes Jane and then writes a letter to Mr. Lloyd requesting confirmation of Jan 's account of events. Miss Temple offers Jane and Helen tea and seed cake. When Mr.Lloyd's letter arrives, Miss Temple publicly tells everyone that Jane is innocent. After this Jane is relieved and satisfied, which makes her devote herself to her work. She excels at drawing and makes progress in French.










Summary of Chapters 1-4

 As the novel begins, we are introduced to the protagonist, Jane Eyre, who is a poor orphan child who resides in Gateshead along with her cruel Aunt and sadisitic cousins. On this tedious November afternoon while Jane is in the drawing room she is then interrupted by her cousins. John begins to harrass Jane and then lauches a book at her, which then results in the both of them quarreling. Mrs. Reed objects to this behavior by simply blaiming Jane and demands for her to be sent to the "red room", to face her penalty -where Mr. Reed, Jane's uncle, had taken his last breath. In response Miss Abbot and Bessie then escort Miss Eyre to the red room, while she is refusing to walk. Once locked in the "red room" Jane then catches a ghastly image of herself, which she is shocked by, that then leads her to reflecting on what she has done to deserve to be in the state that she is now in. She begins by remembering her uncle Reed, and how he had taken her to Gateshead after the death of both of her parents. Her uncle was a kind man, who had made one promise with her aunt before his death, and that promise was for Jane to be raised as one of her own. Almost instantly, Jane believes that the spirit in the room is of her deceased Uncle, returning to take revenge on her aunt for not keeping her promise. Out of terror and extreme tiredness Jane faints.

 When Jane awakes, she notices that is in the her own room, accompanied by Bessie and Mr. Llyod, the family's apothecary. Mr. Llyod speaks to Jane about her life and then recommends for her aunt to send her away to school, where she might finally find happiness. Jane then learns more of her past when she overhears Bessie and Miss Abbot's conversation. She learns that her mother ws actually apart of the wealthy Reed family but was not accepted because of Jane's father, was a poor clergyman. In addition she also learns that her father had caught a disease, which cause both of her parents to die.
A few moths later Jane is then introduced to Mr. Brocklehurst, the head of Lowood (the shool she is possibly attending). Jane, Mrs. Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst talk and after he has left Jane explodes by telling her aunt off, because of what she had told Mr. Brocklehurst. Shortly after, Bessie informs Jane that she favors her the most out of all the Reed children and before she leaves she sings her beautiful songs and tells her stories.

Hello & Welcome to Aaliyah on Jane Eyre.

 My name is Aaliyah Cole and I attend Cedarbridge Academy, where excellence is valued. At Cedarbridge Academy I am currently studying the novel 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte, with my AP English Literature &Composition class. Jane Eyre, a young governess who falls in love with her employer in this classic coming-of-age tale set in the 19th, century, is a 38 chapter novel. This blog will hold my summaries, literary analysis' and also my very own personal reflections on each chapter.





“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre